Confirmation of the species, origin, processing and nutritious value of fishery products

Confirmation of the correct labelling of foods demands new methods to demonstrate the identity and origin of its components and its life-history. Species identification can be performed by DNA, protein or lipid analyses, but there are no methods yet suita ble for identification of the geographical origin or life-history of the product. Our on-going research shows that lipids are good candidates for origin identification in fatty fish, but no method is available for lean species. We propose a novel approach, that we will test in a selection of marine species first: to use nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for osmolyte-profiling of marine organisms to identify the species, origin and - combined with protein-profiling by 2-D p rotein electrophoresis – to examine, in addition, its life-history. Targeted users are i) consumer organisations, ii) official control authorities and laboratories and iii) industries: all who wish to authenticate marine products, whether available at ret ail shops, imported, for export, or purchased by processing industries for further processing. This project complements our on-going activities in this field, and it is organised to include collaboration with European experts in seafood authentication who se expertise is complementary to the one proposed here